The Catholic Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert McElroy, has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti from his role as an exorcist after he suggested UFO sightings could be linked to demons.

The Archbishop said Rossetti’s statements “gravely undermine the Church's very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism”.

Rossetti had raised the issue in a video posted on 29 May on his Facebook page.

“There’s a danger here,” he said in the video, speaking about UFO sightings and the existence of aliens. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide. ... They don't want us to know what they're doing because they're more effective when we don't realize it.”

“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.”

“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” he added.

He also said Catholics can believe in extraterrestrial life and remain in good standing with the Church, though he personally does not believe life exists elsewhere.

Responding to the Archdiocese decision, Rossetti said he was saddened and apologised if his remarks had failed to follow the Church's doctrine. 

“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church's Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on 'aliens and the demonic,'” he said. “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church, and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”

The Archdiocese also confirmed it was severing ties with the St Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based non-profit led by Rossetti.

Rossetti, who has more than 148,000 followers on Instagram, is also a psychologist. His centre has focused on spiritual support for priests experiencing difficulties.

In 2023, he told The Associated Press there was growing interest in demonic possession and exorcism.